NDLEA Arrests 63-Year-Old Chinese Woman at Lagos Airport Over 31kg Cannabis Haul, Seizes N2.1bn Opioids

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Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a 63-year-old Chinese woman, Ting Hung Kiong, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 31 kilograms of “Canadian Loud”, a synthetic strain of cannabis, into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

The suspect, said to be a Chinese national naturalised in Malaysia, was apprehended on 17 May 2026 upon arrival in Lagos from Thailand via Dubai aboard an Emirates Airline flight. According to the agency, NDLEA operatives attached to the Terminal 2 Arrival Hall intercepted her with two large suitcases containing the illicit substance.

Investigations by the anti-narcotics agency revealed that the suspect travelled from Malaysia to Thailand before proceeding to Nigeria through the United Arab Emirates.

During interrogation, she reportedly claimed to be a caregiver in Malaysia and disclosed that her daughter financed the trip. She further told investigators that she spent two weeks in Thailand before being handed the drug consignment at the airport for delivery in Nigeria.

In a related operation, the NDLEA said it recovered 1,825,710 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg valued at over N2.19 billion at the import shed of the Lagos airport.

The consignment, which arrived from India aboard an Emirates Cargo flight, was monitored by NDLEA operatives before being handed over by the Nigeria Customs Service on 22 May.

The agency also recorded arrests and seizures at other airports across the country.

At the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, operatives intercepted Onyeka Valentine Emeka arriving from Sierra Leone via Addis Ababa.

The suspect later excreted 185.36 grams of cocaine after being placed under observation.

Similarly, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, a 29-year-old building engineer, Babatunde Prosper Afekhide, was arrested while attempting to board a flight to Milan, Italy, via Addis Ababa. NDLEA officers reportedly discovered 10,280 pills of Tramaking, Tramadol and Tapentadol concealed in his luggage.

The agency further disclosed that its officers intercepted illicit drugs concealed in parcels destined for the Netherlands, the United States and the United Kingdom at a Lagos courier facility.

Beyond airport operations, the NDLEA said it carried out raids in Edo, Kano, Lagos and Ekiti states, leading to the seizure of large quantities of skunk and other psychoactive substances, as well as the arrest of several suspects.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations and urged commands nationwide to sustain the agency’s drug supply reduction efforts alongside its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaigns across schools and communities.